Lecture 2 Citizenship and social class PDF

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Citizenship and social class...

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Citizenship and social class I am a citizen because:   

UN charter of human rights Born here Parents

Advantage of having this citizenship  protected by the laws of the country, access to education and healthcare (NHS) – social rights and civil rights T.H. Marshall – writing just after WW2 and social disruption and economically on the cusp of growth and recovery T.H. Marshall – 1893-1983 Citizenship – Marshall’s definition 

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Citizenship is a status bestowed on those who are full members of a community. All who possess the status are equal with respect to the rights and duties with which the status is endowed. There is no universal principle that determines what those rights and duties shall be, but societies in which citizenship is a developing institution create an image of an ideal citizenship against which achievement can be measured and towards which aspiration can be directed. (Marshall 2000: 36) in bold – equality of status granted through rights. Citizenship = equal, social class = unequal Citizenship is divided in three parts o The civil element (according to Marshall these are the basis of citizenship) – civil rights  housing contracts – right to sign a contract, bank accounts – liable if anything happens o The political element – political rights  voting, right to form a union o The social element – social rights  education, healthcare (NHS), pensions (most moeny spent on this)

Marshall’s three parts of citizenship: 1. Civil rights    

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Emerging in 15th-16th century Established in 17th century The rule of law – Guarantees individual liberties The rule of law & individual liberties – A big change o ‘It is the custom in England, as with other countries, for the nobility to have great power over the common people, who are serfs. This means that they are bound by law and custom to plough the field of their masters, harvest the corn, gather it into barns, and thresh and winnow the grain; they must also mow and carry home the hay, cut and collect wood, and perform all manner of tasks of this kind.’ – not free o Jean Froissart, written 1395 The rule of law – individual liberties o In seventeenth-century England all men were free. Servile status, or villemage by blood, had lingered on as a patent anachronism in the days of Elizabeth, but vanished soon afterwards.” (Marshall 2000: 33) – not all men were free, always be certain distinctions between who wasn’t free, in individual liberties it wasn’t that far but for women it was very far, certain types of groups are not included in the theory

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“Freedom” was gained when peasants moved to the towns, it evolved from the local to the national level, from personal liberty to national citizenship. (p.34) Freedom in 17th century leads to the emergence of range of “civil rights attached to the status of freedom” (p.34) Some examples This was the basis of citizenship

2. Political rights  

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Evolution throughout 19th century “…when it began, it consisted, not in the creation of new rights to enrich a status already enjoyed by all, but in the granting of old rights to new sections of the population… (Marshall 2000: 34) 1918: vote extended to all men over 21 and to women over 30 who owned property 1928: vote extended to all women over 21

3. Social rights      

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Emerging in early 20th century Before: full citizenship and social protection mutually exclusive 19th century: “paupers forfeited in practice the civil right of personal liberty, by internment in the workhouse.” “Those who accepted relief must cross the road that separated the community of citizens from the outcast company of the destitute.” (Marshall 2000: 35) Before 20th century: full citizenship and social protection mutually exclusive – only way to survive was to give up all rights to everything in the workhouse to get food The innovation: “…social rights imply an absolute right to a certain standard of civilization which is conditional only on the discharge of the general duties of citizenship. Their content does not depend on the economic value of the individual claimant.” (Marshall 2000: 38) – just have to be a law-abiding citizen then can have rights to a certain standard of civilisation Earliest compulsory social right – the 1870 Education Act – why education? – educated citizens needed for democracy and industry Why did social rights evolve? o Civil citizenship alone “…had done little to reduce social inequality, (but) it had helped to guide progress into the path which led directly to the egalitarian policies of the twentieth century…” (p. 37) How? o Civil rights paved the path for political rights o With the rise of political power/political rights came the right to collective bargaining, i.e. “groups were enabled to act legally as individuals” (p. 38) – negotiate with whole workforce not as individual workers Individual civil rights turned into collective civil rights Trade Unionism Collective bargaining was significant because they were able to address imbalances in the workplace and collective action was a legal right Why did social rights evolve? o Individual civil rights turned into collective civil rights o A “transfer of rights from the political to the civil sphere of citizenship” (p. 38) o Workers later used their new voting rights, too

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Increase of industrial & political citizenship Demands for social rights increase Change in capitalism:  Incomes rose  Decline in social inequality  Progressive taxation reduced inequality  Mass production means industry interested in producing goods workers want to but  Rising living standards  “The diminution of inequality strengthened the demand for its abolition, at least with regard to the essentials of social welfare.” (p. 39)

Summary – Marshall’s claim 

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When inequality declines demand for further egalitarian policies will increase, provided that the less privileged (the workers) have the civil and political rights to act collectively and push for change Effect o Social rights have become part of citizenship o A “universal right to real income which is not proportionate to the market value of the claimant”. (p.39) o “Equality of status is more important than equality of income.” p.40 o Egalitarian rights have neutralised the inequality of social class

Defining the welfare state "..since the war we live in a 'welfare state'. The term ushered in a new political commitment, a rewritten social contract between the state and the people. As T.H. Marshall (1950) put it, this implied a recognition of citizens' social rights and a promise to bridge the divisions of class. We cannot separate the welfare state ideal from this historical context.. (Esping-Andersen 1999: 34)...